On Cats
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- Create Date：2021-09-12 09:55:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Charles Bukowski
- ISBN：0062395998
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Summary
A raw and tenderly funny look at the human-cat relationship， from one of our most treasured and transgressive writers。
“The cat is the beautiful devil。”
Felines touched a vulnerable spot in Charles Bukowski’s crusty soul。 For the writer， there was something majestic and elemental about these inscrutable creatures he admired， sentient beings whose searing gaze could penetrate deep into our being。 Bukowski considered cats to be unique forces of nature， elusive emissaries of beauty and love。
On Cats offers Bukowski’s musings on these beloved animals and their toughness and resiliency。 He honors them as fighters， hunters， survivors who command awe and respect as they grip tightly onto the world around them: “A cat is only ITSELF， representative of the strong forces of life that won’t let go。”
Funny， moving， tough， and caring， On Cats brings together the acclaimed writer’s reflections on these animals he so admired。 Bukowski’s cats are fierce and demanding—he captures them stalking their prey; crawling across his typewritten pages; waking him up with claws across the face。 But they are also affectionate and giving， sources of inspiration and gentle， insistent care。
Poignant yet free of treacle， On Cats is an illuminating portrait of this one-of-a-kind artist and his unique view of the world， witnessed through his relationship with the animals he considered his most profound teachers。
“The cat is the beautiful devil。”
Felines touched a vulnerable spot in Charles Bukowski’s crusty soul。 For the writer， there was something majestic and elemental about these inscrutable creatures he admired， sentient beings whose searing gaze could penetrate deep into our being。 Bukowski considered cats to be unique forces of nature， elusive emissaries of beauty and love。
On Cats offers Bukowski’s musings on these beloved animals and their toughness and resiliency。 He honors them as fighters， hunters， survivors who command awe and respect as they grip tightly onto the world around them: “A cat is only ITSELF， representative of the strong forces of life that won’t let go。”
Funny， moving， tough， and caring， On Cats brings together the acclaimed writer’s reflections on these animals he so admired。 Bukowski’s cats are fierce and demanding—he captures them stalking their prey; crawling across his typewritten pages; waking him up with claws across the face。 But they are also affectionate and giving， sources of inspiration and gentle， insistent care。
Poignant yet free of treacle， On Cats is an illuminating portrait of this one-of-a-kind artist and his unique view of the world， witnessed through his relationship with the animals he considered his most profound teachers。
Reviews
Abi Mendoza
，
This is one of the few books that I've bought without knowing what is was about， but I thought Bukowski+cats doesn't seem to be a bad combination and I wasn't wrong。This was a comfort reading for me。 Love the pictures of his cats and the stories he tells about them。 "remember thatthere is a catsomewhere adjusting to thespace of itselfwith a delightful wonderment of easiness。 in other words magic persistswithout usno matter what we doagainst it。"There's beauty and laughter and love in this little This is one of the few books that I've bought without knowing what is was about， but I thought Bukowski+cats doesn't seem to be a bad combination and I wasn't wrong。This was a comfort reading for me。 Love the pictures of his cats and the stories he tells about them。 "remember thatthere is a catsomewhere adjusting to thespace of itselfwith a delightful wonderment of easiness。 in other words magic persistswithout usno matter what we doagainst it。"There's beauty and laughter and love in this little book。 A must read if you love cats。 。。。more
micodaniel
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"Having a bunch of cats around is good。 If you’re feeling bad， you just lookat the cats， you’ll feel better， because they know that everything is， just as itis。"Im ashamed to admit that a poetry book about cats written by a dead white man got me teary eyed。 These poems are not extraordinary compared to the one's that i have read but this is more relatable to me since i own cats too。 Straightforward and slightly obscene writing style。 The photographs gave me comfort and i'd definitely have cats r "Having a bunch of cats around is good。 If you’re feeling bad， you just lookat the cats， you’ll feel better， because they know that everything is， just as itis。"Im ashamed to admit that a poetry book about cats written by a dead white man got me teary eyed。 These poems are not extraordinary compared to the one's that i have read but this is more relatable to me since i own cats too。 Straightforward and slightly obscene writing style。 The photographs gave me comfort and i'd definitely have cats rather than children as well。 。。。more
Mara Tudor
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i’ve been in a reading slump for the past 2 months。 i’ve been looking for something short to pull me out of it and boy was this the perfect filler read。 lighthearted， crude， humorous， depressing， grotesque- what doesn’t this short collection have？ if you’re looking for something to cure your reading slump， On Cats by Charles Bukowski is your medicine。
Pauline Borgeaud
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Obviously my love for cats and for Buke could not make me more biased， but this book was everything。Cats are life， and Bukoswki just loved them so much， it makes my heart ache。The pictures in this book are amazing， and I'm sure they all had a weirdly great life with Buke， just as he with them。Maybe one day I'll have just as many cats as he did。 Obviously my love for cats and for Buke could not make me more biased， but this book was everything。Cats are life， and Bukoswki just loved them so much， it makes my heart ache。The pictures in this book are amazing， and I'm sure they all had a weirdly great life with Buke， just as he with them。Maybe one day I'll have just as many cats as he did。 。。。more
Julia #BlackLivesMatter
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People who love cats always write about them and you can feel their love。 I know Bukowski was quite misogynistic and a drunk but loving animals shows that there is some goodness in you。"I walked up the driveway。 The cats were sprawled about， pooped。 In my next life I want to be a cat。 To sleep 20 hours a day and wait to be fed。 To sit around licking my ass。 Humans are too miserable and angry and single-minded。 "Also， 9 cats！ Living the dream！！ People who love cats always write about them and you can feel their love。 I know Bukowski was quite misogynistic and a drunk but loving animals shows that there is some goodness in you。"I walked up the driveway。 The cats were sprawled about， pooped。 In my next life I want to be a cat。 To sleep 20 hours a day and wait to be fed。 To sit around licking my ass。 Humans are too miserable and angry and single-minded。 "Also， 9 cats！ Living the dream！！ 。。。more
James Lombardi
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Just an amazing collection of poems about cats。 Some were funny， some were sad， but always engaging。 Bukowski is a master。
Jason
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Not my favorite book I have read by Bukowski， but a worthwhile read for sure。 It gave me even more of an insight into his life and personality and also made me appreciate cats and want a cat myself。
Justine
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As always， I love Charles Bukowski's poems， the way， all of a sudden， a sentence blows me away。 As always， I didn't love all the poems， and here， there were some repetitions， some poems about the same topic put in the same section in a row。 I was interested in this collection because of the subject: what can Charles Bukowski say about cats？ Some poems felt true to my experience of being around them; some were off for my taste。 But it's always a pleasure to read this author， and I'll keep doing i As always， I love Charles Bukowski's poems， the way， all of a sudden， a sentence blows me away。 As always， I didn't love all the poems， and here， there were some repetitions， some poems about the same topic put in the same section in a row。 I was interested in this collection because of the subject: what can Charles Bukowski say about cats？ Some poems felt true to my experience of being around them; some were off for my taste。 But it's always a pleasure to read this author， and I'll keep doing it！ 。。。more
Sincerely Sloth
，
Umm did i read the wrong book or？？？？
Júlia Schönfeld
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"The factories， the jails， the drunken days and nights， the hospitals have weakened and shaken me like a mouse in the mouth of a hip-cat: life。" "The factories， the jails， the drunken days and nights， the hospitals have weakened and shaken me like a mouse in the mouth of a hip-cat: life。" 。。。more
Linda
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Summary: cats are rascals （and sometimes get hit by cars）。
Amber
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A series of short reflections on cats - many of which reflect cats that are as broken and battered as Bukowski was。
fathi esam
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Do you have a cat？ Or cats？ They sleep， baby。 They can sleep 20 hours aday and they look beautiful。 They know that there’s nothing to get excitedabout。 The next meal。 And a little something to kill now and then。 WhenI’m being torn by the forces， I just look at one or more of my cats。 There are9 of them。 I just look at one of them sleeping or half-sleeping and I relax。Writing is also my cat。 Writing lets me face it。 It chills me out。 For a whileanyhow。 Then my wires get crossed and I have to do i Do you have a cat？ Or cats？ They sleep， baby。 They can sleep 20 hours aday and they look beautiful。 They know that there’s nothing to get excitedabout。 The next meal。 And a little something to kill now and then。 WhenI’m being torn by the forces， I just look at one or more of my cats。 There are9 of them。 I just look at one of them sleeping or half-sleeping and I relax。Writing is also my cat。 Writing lets me face it。 It chills me out。 For a whileanyhow。 Then my wires get crossed and I have to do it all over again。 Ican’t understand writers who decide to stop writing。 How do they chill out？بوكوفسكي ليس لديه وسط。。。 أنه ينتمي لهذا الطراز من الكتاب فأما ان تحبه جدا وأما ان تكرهه جدا。。。 فكتاباته الفظة ووصفه الجنسي الذي غلب على اغلب اعماله الروائية والشعرية جعلت له طائفة كارهين ليست بهينة وفي نفس الوقت جعلته قريبا من الذين احبوا ما يحاول ان يقوله بوكوفسكي。。。ولكننا هنا أمام تجربة مختلفة بعض الشئ حتى على كاتب مثل بوكوفسكي。。 أنه كتاب عن القطط تلك الكائنات الشيطانية التي كان بوكوفسكي يعرف ماهو الحب عندما ينظر إلى عيونها الصفراء。。。 بوكوفسكي كان عاشقا للقطط وكان يربي العديد من القطط مع زوجته وكانت القطط مصدر إلهام له في بعض كتاباته ولذلك كان واجبا عليه أن يعطيها حقها في ما يكتبه ويتحدث عنها ويعرف العالم عليها او كما يراه بوكوفسكي ككائن شيطاني صغير لعين。。。。الكتاب عبارة عن مجموعة قصائد مجمعة لبوكوفسكي من عدة دواوين كتبها على مدار تاريخه الأدبي دائما ما كانت القطة بطلها。。。 يسترجع فيها الشاعر ذكرياته مع تلك الكائنات وعن القطط رباها وكانوا بمثابة أبناء له。。。。انا كنت محبا للقطط فسوف يعجبك هذا الكتاب وان كانت لديك مشكلة مع اسلوب الكاتب الشبق فسوف يعجبك هذا الكتاب أيضا لانه يتحدث عن القطط في أغلب القصائد 😂 اما اذا كانت لديك مع اسلوب بوكوفسكي نفسه الكتابي فلا استطيع ان اقوله لك شيئا فهذا هو بوكوفسكي الذي لا يتغير ولن يتغير ليرضي ذائقة من يقرأ له⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more
Gisse
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No me gusta la poesía ni la entiendo， pero este libro me gustó bastante （igual que los gatos 😍）
Cate Sullivan
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It’s fine but dull
Iulia
，
"I walked up the driveway。 The cats were sprawled about， pooped。 In my next life I want to be a cat。 To sleep 20 hours a day and wait to be fed。 To sit around licking my ass。 Humans are too miserable and angry and singleminded。" This entire volume pleasantly surprised me from start to finish and I cannot even describe the feelings that it made me experience。 I really did finish this in one sitting。 To me， nothing is more pleasant than being able to enjoy a volume of poetry in one reading。 This v "I walked up the driveway。 The cats were sprawled about， pooped。 In my next life I want to be a cat。 To sleep 20 hours a day and wait to be fed。 To sit around licking my ass。 Humans are too miserable and angry and singleminded。" This entire volume pleasantly surprised me from start to finish and I cannot even describe the feelings that it made me experience。 I really did finish this in one sitting。 To me， nothing is more pleasant than being able to enjoy a volume of poetry in one reading。 This volume had something apart in it， foreign from his other volumes that I read。 In some way， it really reminded me of ”On Love” which I absolutely adored and left a review on earlier this summer。 This volume is full of witty comments and perfectly captures Bukowski's deep admiration for his beloved cats。 To some， their relationship may seem odd， perhaps he can give off the feeling that he does not actually like cats at all， however I think that's just for the superficial readers。 He does not romanticize the idea of owning a pet cat， no， he really shows his readers how cats are way superior to the human race and perfectly captures their godlike behaviour full of pride and stubbornness: "You can get some dogs and some women to let go—and they’ll let go。 But a cat， hell， the lightning sides of houses will long be done over and he will still be purring in his milk。 A cat will eat you when you die。 No matter how long you’ve lived together"Many people dislike cats because they don't behave like dogs。 And that's okay。 Cats aren't for everybody to understand， the same way Bukowksi's poems aren't for everybody to enjoy。 He really did shock me at how well he understood and accepted and even admired the true nature of cats throughout his life and experiences with them: "I don’t like love as a command， as a search。 it must come to you， like a hungry cat at the door。"I am absolutely head over heels for the pictures of cats and photos of them together。 It's just humbling and heartwarming to be able to get a glimpse of their lives together when they were all alive。 Gave me shivers each time a photograph came on。"these，all they do is run， eat， sleep， shit andfightbut at moments they are still and they lookat mewith eyesfar more beautiful than any human eyes I have everseen。they are good guys。" 。。。more
Sam Sagins
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Hal， it’s about cats
Stuart Rodriguez
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Cats > Charles Bukowski
Lindy
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This was great！ I’m sure you won’t enjoy it if you’re not a huge fan of cats but I personally love cats， have always had one growing up and have two of my own now。 Bukowski’s view on cats being able to improve your mood is spot on， for me anyway。 They fill my heart。 I love my animals more than people that’s for sure。 There were some duplications between his poems which will happen when a collection is made。 I’ve also read a few previously in other collections。 Perfect Sunday read snuggled up wit This was great！ I’m sure you won’t enjoy it if you’re not a huge fan of cats but I personally love cats， have always had one growing up and have two of my own now。 Bukowski’s view on cats being able to improve your mood is spot on， for me anyway。 They fill my heart。 I love my animals more than people that’s for sure。 There were some duplications between his poems which will happen when a collection is made。 I’ve also read a few previously in other collections。 Perfect Sunday read snuggled up with my kitties。 。。。more
constantlytina
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It was ok。 Probably wouldn’t recommend or read again。
Elizabeth Loea
，
the poem "looking at the cat's balls" was particularly unpleasant。 the poem "looking at the cat's balls" was particularly unpleasant。 。。。more
Ahmed reads
，
This is so pure ， Books about cats make me happy since that they are both my favourite things in this planet。 “all they do is run， eat， sleep， shit andfightbut at moments they are still and they lookat mewith eyesfar more beautiful than any human eyes I have everseen。they are good guys。”On CatsCharles Bukowski
Ozan
，
The book made me smile and some parts of it made me feel emotional。 It is a short book but it is good。 If you love cats， you can give it a try。
Kinga （Imbirowa o książkach）
，
Moim zdaniem zbiór „O kotach” to zlepek przypadkowo dobranych tekstów na temat naszych czworonożnych przyjaciół。 Wiersze， fragmenty opowiadań i urocze zdjęcia pochodzące z archiwum autora tworzą razem mało spójną całość。 Jak dla mnie część utworów śmiało można by wyrzucić a część przesunąć na inne miejsce， aby razem prezentowały jakąś konkretną historię。 To nie był ten Bukowski， którego lubię。Ostatecznie na te kilkadziesiąt tekstów podobało mi się zaledwie kilka。 To zdecydowanie zbyt mało， aby m Moim zdaniem zbiór „O kotach” to zlepek przypadkowo dobranych tekstów na temat naszych czworonożnych przyjaciół。 Wiersze， fragmenty opowiadań i urocze zdjęcia pochodzące z archiwum autora tworzą razem mało spójną całość。 Jak dla mnie część utworów śmiało można by wyrzucić a część przesunąć na inne miejsce， aby razem prezentowały jakąś konkretną historię。 To nie był ten Bukowski， którego lubię。Ostatecznie na te kilkadziesiąt tekstów podobało mi się zaledwie kilka。 To zdecydowanie zbyt mało， aby móc polubić tę książkę。 Widać， że Bukowski uwielbiał kocury！ Braku próby ich zrozumienia na pewno nie można mu zarzucić。 Na swój sposób codziennie zmagał się z kocimi charakterkami。 O swoich pupilach wypowiadał się czule i zabawnie。 W tej książce zaprezentował nam kocią codzienność widzianą swoimi oczami。 Oczami， których ja nie byłam w stanie w pełni zrozumieć。 。。。more
T。 Finley
，
I didn't really get the author's point in most of the selections from this book。 But then， I'm not really a poetry person。 I just borrowed this collection on a whim when I saw it at my local public library because I like cats， and short books。The book did feature a few really good lines though。 I didn't really get the author's point in most of the selections from this book。 But then， I'm not really a poetry person。 I just borrowed this collection on a whim when I saw it at my local public library because I like cats， and short books。The book did feature a few really good lines though。 。。。more
Alice Kanitz
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（I think I would have liked it better if I had read it in the original language！）
Andy
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[2。5 stars] "When I am feeling low all， I have to do is watch my cats and my courage returns。" – excerpt from “my cats” by Charles BukowskiI love books about cats。 Fiction， nonfiction， humor， poetry， essay collections， scientific， memoirs – it doesn’t matter the genre as long as felines take center stage。 This was purchased solely for the subject matter and price （$0。99 USD on Apple Books）。 Honestly， I had no idea who Bukowski was， which made the first several stories off-putting。 Going in knowi [2。5 stars] "When I am feeling low all， I have to do is watch my cats and my courage returns。" – excerpt from “my cats” by Charles BukowskiI love books about cats。 Fiction， nonfiction， humor， poetry， essay collections， scientific， memoirs – it doesn’t matter the genre as long as felines take center stage。 This was purchased solely for the subject matter and price （$0。99 USD on Apple Books）。 Honestly， I had no idea who Bukowski was， which made the first several stories off-putting。 Going in knowing that he was a darling of the beatnik era - with themes of over-exaggerated alcohol-induced machismo and overt sexism - would’ve made me less resistant to reading further。 When you strip away the references to genitalia， alcoholism and embarrassing depictions of women， you begin to appreciate the ways in which Bukowski captures the feline philosophy and the lessons us lesser beings can glean from how they live。 It becomes clear that living with cats is how Bukowski processed his life。 It’s short enough to be digested in one or two sittings but that doesn’t mean everything in here is worth the time。 Many of the entries include references to the same feline， and kudos to the editor for grouping them together and including photos （！！！）。 This is， in essence， a gruff love letter to the cats that shaped him。 The poems that focus on his beloved Manx， a stray that was shot， run over （twice） and had his tail cut-off， were the best with its combination of funny， sweet and melancholy that celebrate a fighter’s spirit。If you’re a fan of Bukowski， this collection is likely a must read as it features many previously unpublished works。 But if you’re a cat lover looking for saccharine sweet stories， you won’t find them here。 I probably won’t pick-up another work by Bukowski， but I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite lines:“I don’t like love as a command， as a search。 It must come to you， like a hungry cat at the door。”“Animals are inspirational。 They don’t know how to lie。 They are natural forces。 TV can make me ill in five minutes， but I can look at an animal for hours and find nothing but grace and glory， life as it should be。” 。。。more
Jeannette
，
I had never read Charles Bukowski before， but I had heard much about him。 His writing never really sounded like my thing。 Then， I learned he loved cats。 Well sir， that's how you get me to read your writing。 On Cats by Charles Bukowski is a compilation of his writing on cats pulled from various sources and pieces。 It's raw， gritty， disjointed， repetitive， sometimes disturbing， sometimes sad， and a celebration of its subject matter。 There is something so unexpected and moving about Bukowski's cat I had never read Charles Bukowski before， but I had heard much about him。 His writing never really sounded like my thing。 Then， I learned he loved cats。 Well sir， that's how you get me to read your writing。 On Cats by Charles Bukowski is a compilation of his writing on cats pulled from various sources and pieces。 It's raw， gritty， disjointed， repetitive， sometimes disturbing， sometimes sad， and a celebration of its subject matter。 There is something so unexpected and moving about Bukowski's cat poetry。 Are tough guys supposed to be touched on such a deep level by a mere animal？ It gives me hope。 Bonus points for the pictures of his cats sprinkled throughout。 。。。more
Katia M。 Davis
，
I loved this collection of poems and snippets of memoir from Bukowski。 I have learned he and I share the same position on cats。 This is excellent。 However， he can express his emotions and thoughts on them far better than I can。 At one point he had 10 cats， all strays。 One he thought was a Manx， but it turned out he had just been abused and someone had chopped his tail off （and shot him）。 Bukowski nursed him back to health - only for him to be run over and told he would never walk again。 Bukowski I loved this collection of poems and snippets of memoir from Bukowski。 I have learned he and I share the same position on cats。 This is excellent。 However， he can express his emotions and thoughts on them far better than I can。 At one point he had 10 cats， all strays。 One he thought was a Manx， but it turned out he had just been abused and someone had chopped his tail off （and shot him）。 Bukowski nursed him back to health - only for him to be run over and told he would never walk again。 Bukowski， however， did not give up。 Nor did the cat， bless him。This is actually the first thing I've read of Bukowski's and it has pushed me to read more of his poetry。 It is honest， clear and does not pull any punches。 Right up my alley。 。。。more
Mariana
，
A great love for cats makes us immortals ahahah
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=On Cats
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=On Cats&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,On Cats&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0